


What Does Love Mean to You?

by trashfeline



Category: Splatoon
Genre: F/F, Theyre gay
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-20
Updated: 2019-04-02
Packaged: 2019-09-23 12:27:00
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,238
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17080319
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/trashfeline/pseuds/trashfeline
Summary: Pearl, the edgy teen of her school, still has one year left of this prison. She wants to get out as soon as possible, but her health class permits that with a new group project. With this group project brings an interesting octoling into her life, Marina.





	1. Chapter 1

Pearl glumly chuffed air from curled lips. Hard footsteps rang from her sneakers. The squid paced along hurriedly, trying to get to her next class as soon as possible. Her painted black nails dug into the straps of her dark pink backpack.

Of course, before opening the door she faltered slightly. Her hands were shaky, and her palms were sweaty. Letting a sigh pass from her, she grabbed the handle and let herself in without looking up. Pearl trudged to her seat in silence, trying her best not to look up into the judging eyes of her peers. Anger gnawed at her belly like a hungry piranha.

Backpack flung beside her, she sat down and continued to look at nothing. Nothing in this class was worth listening to, anyways. She swallowed a hard lump in her throat, idly scratching the scars formed on her right arm. It twined all up to her shoulder like weeds. With a grimace and tightened teeth, she dug her fingernails now into skin. God did she hate that part of herself.

And so did everyone else.

With an annoyed flick of her ear, she realized class had started. Too busy in her teenage angst, she presumed. She rolled her eyes at herself, taking a deep breath to calm her nerves a bit.

She managed to look up to the board where a large title was scrawled on with blue dry erase marker by the teacher. ‘GROUP PROJECT. NEW SEATS’ it yelled out in fine print. Pearl bit back a groan as she realized why the class was chattering like starlings. Friends were talking excitedly among each other, laughing with bright sparkling eyes. Pearl slumped further into her seat as no one approached her.

Why would they? She was a bitter taste in everyone’s mouth. 

“Okay class!” Lifting from his seat, the teacher called. Atteneas placed upon his brightly colored sea slug head turned every which way, distracting Pearl’s gaze momentarily. “There will be a new project today as seen on the board!” Immediately everyone scrambled to their friend. That is, besides Pearl. 

“Oh, I must’ve made you all confused,” His sludgy fingers raised quickly. “I’ll be picking your partners for you!” Everyone in the class groaned, including Pearl. If anything she would rather work alone. He fished for a paper arranged on his desk and began to call out names to the now hollow eyed teens. 

“Pearl, William, and Marina! Group up!” Pearl only cared enough to hear her name being called before paying attention. _Hrm. William, the annoying ass eel who hardly never did his work and talked to his friends the whole time. Marina, the prim octoling who took school way too seriously and was always staring at me. Great._

Nevertheless, Pearl grabbed her bag and went to the back corner where the two sat. Marina waved at her gently with a small smile. Pearl replied with a small nod, face not showing any emotion. Marina faltered, blinked, and looked away. 

“Uh… so… hi Pearl. Hello William.” Marina spoke after a few seconds, clearing her throat.

“Sup’” William replied, already zoning out on his phone. 

“Hey Marina,” Pearl said, still not looking at her. Pearl felt a twinge of guilt fester in her belly, but she let it pass. The inkling felt bad at treating the octoling so cold, but she didn’t have time to make friends. She only wanted to get this project done to pass this cod awful class. 

“I heard your family owns a few popular clothing brands here, don’t they?” Marina prodded, trying to make friendly conversation. Pearl felt her face curl up in a snarl. 

“Yeah. Yeah, they do.” She growled out, once again digging her fingernails deep into her arm. 

“Woah, sorry,” Marina softly grabbed Pearl’s hands and lifted them away from her scar ridden arm. “I didn’t know that was a touchy subject.” Golden eyes pierced the octoling’s, and she let go of her hand quickly. 

“It isn’t,” Pearl hissed through gritted teeth. “Just listen to the teacher so we can get this over with, okay?” Pearl wasn’t ready to become a laughing stock once again. Marina looked worried for a moment, but turned her attention back to the teacher who was trying to get everyone’s attention. 

“We all situated? Great!” He clapped his goopy hands together. “Today, our project will be a bit different.” The groups looked at each other with bewildered eyes. Classmates tried to inch to the side to see what the teacher was writing in shaky lettering on the board. 

He stepped back finally, and everyone looked at eachother with confused stares and whispers. 

On the board wrote ‘WHAT DOES LOVE MEAN TO YOU?’

“What does this have to do with health class, anyways?” William called out from his seat.

“Well,” the teacher replied. “I figured since graduation is coming up, and a lot of you are going off soon, we would have a project that is more interesting and fun to do!” 

_This is what fun is to this guy?_ To Pearl, it was worse than a regular project. That was saying a lot. 

“Love to me is getting out of this place,” Pearl laughed under her breath. William snickered at her almost unheard comment. 

“Of course, however, this project will have research in it,” The slug went on. “You must research the topic of love, and possibly even ask the question to others. Make it whatever you want it to be; a slideshow presentation, poster, anything really… just make sure to have it be creative!”

Besides Pearl’s distaste, she knew that she needed to pass this class. Having this topic would be an easier task to accomplish, right? Pearl hoped so. She just wanted to get it over with and get out of the chains that was this prison. She scratched her wrist distractedly. 

“Discuss with your group which way would fit all of your needs. You’re free to start!” The slug turned, sitting back to his desk and immediately typing away. 

“Okay… so,” Marina toyed at the sleeves of her long blouse. She took a deep breath in, then stared directly into Pearl’s golden eyes.

“What does love mean to you, Pearl?”

Pearl was going to snap back a comment, but held back her tongue as she saw the intense look the octoling gave her.

Marina was, to Pearl, always pretty. Her tentacles were always pulled back in a long flowing ponytail. Along with this, she was pretty much the top of the class. Surprising, as whenever Pearl saw her sitting at that desk at the front of class, her eyes were glazed over. Almost as if she was in another world in that big brain of hers. Not that it particularly mattered to the inkling, as she always liked to observe her classmates rather than listening to the teachers. It intrigued her more than any class ever could. 

Yet, whenever Pearl looked up and saw Marina, they met eyes. Marina would always be staring back with a soft green look. Her pink pupils would dilate, and she would turn her gaze as if nothing happened. Her tentacles would sway erratically for just a few moments, then slow as she would look back up at the teacher. 

Pearl thought at first that she was just openly mocking her. After all, Pearl was pretty much the walking definition of teenage angst. Piercings lined her sharp ears, mascara blobbed on her eyelashes, and baggy sweatshirts weighed her down. It wasn’t uncommon for uncomfortable stares. The way Marina looked however, made Pearl stop and ponder. Most of the time, the person would have a small grimace on their face. Marina didn’t have any of that disgust, just lips slightly parted as if she was about to whisper to her… the curious aura radiated off of her in waves.

Pearl had been tempted to talk to the octoling numerous times, but was too nervous. What would she say in the first place? “Hey, I noticed you staring at me for the past year. What are you so curious about?” If there was one way to scare someone out of talking, that would be it.

Pearl sighed, drumming nails on the fine wooden desk.

Pearl loved moments in time. The way the sea life around her flourished as she stopped to take it all in. Everyone had a story yearning to be told, yet got shuffled among the pace of school hallways. Context clues of their life beyond this prison fell from their mouths and actions.

Weren’t those stories meant to be told? To be cried out in a throaty sob? Pearl longed to tell hers.

But the shoes kept on shuffling, and the stories were tucked away until death.

Pearl blinked, realizing she had gotten sucked into her warped brain once again. Marina still looked at her with eager eyes, leaning in close.

“Love to me is… uh,” she tapped a pale finger to her chin, pondering. “It’s telling someone anything. Anything you’re comfortable with, and knowing the other person will hold you close.” Pearl faltered slightly, shoulders slumping and eyes swirling.

Marina blinked, not realizing she would get an actual response from the tough girl. She quietly drew some paper and a pen from her bag, scribbling the words finely down to document it.

“O-okay then,” Marina twirled her pen in her claws. “What about you, William?”

Both raised their heads to hear the response from the bright yellow eel, but growled as they saw him away, already distracted and talking to another group.

“We’re gonna have to do this, just the two of us, aren’t we?” Pearl sputtered out, rubbing eyelids tiredly.

“Yep, most definitely.” Marina sighed. 

“Well then I’ll ask you, I guess,” Pearl slid the notebook to her chest, and reached her hand out gently in order to ask for the pen. Marina placed it carefully in the squids palm. 

“What does love mean to you, Marina?”

For a moment Marina looked flustered. The tips of her tentacles twitched like a cat’s tail. 

“Love to me is…” Her voice was soft like a feather. “It’s confusing. It’s curiosity and yearning and holding on to that person. Love is calling them close and feeling the warmth of happiness radiating off of them. It’s pure and laughing when nobody else sees it. Eating cake with them, wiping off the leftover frosting on their cheek and laughing when their face gets as red as the strawberries lined on the sweets.” 

Pearl felt a bead of sweat roll down her head as she struggled to report every detail on the page. She was certainly not expecting an answer that fast. 

Marina opened her jaw as though she would say more, but closed as she saw Pearl’s struggle.

“Sorry,” she mumbled, tentacles twitching once again. “I can get a bit carried away.”

“It’s alright, Marina,” she said as she finished writing down the last few words. She internally flinched at her handwriting, it was scratchy and mocking compared to the fine print of the octoling. 

She didn’t reply for a moment, just looked down at Pearl’s handwriting. 

“I like it.” She finally whispered, smirking lightly. 

“Huh?” Pearl set the pen down next to her writing. 

“Your handwriting,” the octoling replied. “It’s much less proper than mine. We’ve got a good start on this project already. I was thinking we could ask a bunch of different people and maybe figure out a consensus… I’m not sure though, what were you thinking?” 

“Uhm…” Pearl blushed, scratching nervously at her scar ridden hand. “That works, sure. We could do a slideshow presentation, if you wanted?” 

“Yeah, sounds good to me.” She nodded quickly as Pearl returned the page and pen back to her. 

Right as Marina rearranged the supplies in her bag, the alarm bell screamed, making Pearl jump. _Was class already over? It went by a lot quicker today…_

Pearl grabbed her backpack with her small hands, slipping it onto one shoulder. Before hurriedly rushing out of the class like she normally did, Pearl made a small wave to Marina.

Pearl flicked herself mentally as she walked from the classroom. Remember, Pearl. No friends means no problems. The inkling sighed, walking as briskly as possible in order to meet the exit. 

Before reaching it, a shrill voice called out. “Hey Pearl!” _Oh cod._

Pearl shuffled faster, eyes down to her toes as a tall inkling’s voice rang from the hallway. The inkling’s hand gripped onto Pearl’s shoulder, and she felt as though she would melt from the fiery touch.

“What do you want, Harper?” Pearl shook under her fingertips, yet voice kept steady and cool. Pulling back Pearl a few steps, she smirked and showed sharp teeth. 

“Got any extra money from mommy and daddy?” She sneered, purple tentacles swaying.

“I’ve told you already, I don’t get anything from them. Knock it off.” Pearl’s voice was low and dangerous.

“Sure, princess.” Her claws snagged to Pearl’s wrist, digging in deep. “You can’t even feel that, can you? The electrocution numbed everything, huh?”

“I said to knock it off,” Pearl hissed, snatching her wrist away. Ink dribbled lightly, and Pearl’s heart felt heavy. The pain was definitely muted, she could hardly tell she was even bleeding. “What do you even want from me?” Her voice sounded shakier than she wanted it to be. 

“I told you, idiot.” Her face wrinkled even further into her snarl. “The money. I know your parents are loaded.”

“I keep telling you every time! Why doesn’t it go through your head!” Pearl’s voice raised louder. “My parents don’t give me shit! Leave me alone you fuckhead!” 

Harper’s eyes went cold as ice. Pearl felt a wave of fear wash throughout her body as she raised her claws in a haunting pose, before striking down with all her wrath. Pearl cried out in pain as her talons ripped through the skin on her cheek. She staggered backwards and held two hands to the wound on her face. 

Looking up and scanning the area with hazy gaze, she blinked the blood away that smeared dangerously near her eye. She saw Harper with her bloody claw tips, eerily staring at the inkling below her. Pearl gave a sideways glance and almost gasped out loud as she met eyes with her group partner, Marina. 

Marina’s face was contorted into nothing but shaking fear. She stood a few paces away, claws digging tightly to her backpack straps as she watched the scene lay out before her.

They locked eyes, as Pearl pleaded with trembling lips. Tears threatened to spill over her bleeding skin. 

The moment they met eyes, it looked as though Marina was snapped into place. Like a perfectly formatted puzzle piece, she rammed into the action.

Marina gave Harper a hard push to her shoulders, making her almost fall down from the sudden impact. The purple haired inkling stomped in place, trying to keep steady.

“What’s your problem?” The blood on Pearl’s face felt as though it would freeze at the sound of Marina’s voice. It was razor sharp, seething with anger and righteousness. It sent Pearl into a small shock, was this really the girl she was talking to earlier? Her almost always nervous swaying tentacles were now slow and rigid, making Pearl shiver. Though she was not on the receiving end, Marina’s stance meant business. It frightened Pearl down to her core.

“Who are _you?”_ Harper retaliated quickly, wiping off the blood that tainted her claws. 

“Why would it matter to you?” Marina rumbled. “Leave her the fuck alone.”

“Haha yeah, and what would you do?” Harper’s eyes squinted. Although her voice was loud and brash, Pearl could tell she was cowering a bit. 

“You don’t want to find out, really.” Marina puffed her chest out and looked with a icy cold hold. “Trust me.”

“Whatever. Trust that piece of shit, see how I care.” Harper spat out, stepping back before turning and walking away as though nothing happened moments before. Marina let out an exasperated sigh. Quickly she locked eyes with Pearl once again, then jumped.

“Oh cod! Are you okay?” Marina was suddenly a panicked mess, holding Pearl’s face with her hands to examine the cut on her face. “I couldn’t stand there and watch that happen! Do we need to tell the office or… or…” 

“Marina! It’s okay, I’m okay!” Pearl struggled out of her warm grasp. “It’s not that bad.”

“She made you bleed! That’s not okay!” Marina grasped for words. “Why did she even do that?”

“My parents have money, so people automatically think they give it to me, or something idiotic like that… it’s fine, Marina, really. I can’t even feel most of it.” She looked down at her scarred wrist and the pink ink dribbling from little punctures. “Why do you even care?” Pearl shrugged and turned her attention back to the octoling. 

“You were getting beat up! I mean… I’ve heard that you were ‘the bullied kid’ but I never actually saw anyone act out on it…” Marina’s voice was barely a whisper, her tentacles swayed. 

“That’s because Harper is a dumbass and doesn’t know how to keep her anger to a minimum until after school.” Pearl rolled her eyes, snorting definiantly. 

Marina looked at her with worry radiating from her. “Are you sure you’re okay? You looked really… scared when you saw me.”

“Uhm, yeah. Sorry about that, you shouldn’t have had to jump into that situation. You should be very glad you scared her off, she would’ve hurt you too… then I would feel really bad.” Pearl shook her head. “I’m fine now, really. Thanks for saving me back there.” 

“I’m not even sure how I was able to do that!” Marina laughed awkwardly. “But… you’re welcome. If you need me or anything,” she tore off a piece of paper quickly from a notebook peeking out of her bag, then scribbled something onto it with a pen found in her pocket.

“Call or text me, okay?” She pushed the slip into Pearl’s bloody hands, inhaled a flustered breath, and quickly skipped away.

Pearl looked at the slip dumbfounded. _Did she really just? ….Wow._

Pearl felt a true smile tug at her mouth, placing a hand to her head. She let out a small snicker, the first happy emotion she had felt in a long while, then pocketed the paper. 

Maybe a friend wouldn’t be too bad, Pearl thought.


	2. Untitled #3

Pearl trotted home, a smile plastered on her face besides the ink smudged on it. 

She walked quickly… well, as quickly as her short legs could take her. Soon enough, she was met with the door of her house. Pearl opened it with comfortable ease, throwing her shoes off and scrambling to her room. 

With a hop, Pearl face planted herself to the plush bed she loved so dearly. The soft pink blankets gathered around her frail and tired body. A sigh rumbled from her lips as she tossed the heavy backpack that always seemed to be stuck to her back like a tick. 

Curling up into the fuzzy blankets, she reached in her the pocket for the slip that Marina had given earlier, as well as her phone. The bright screen cascaded light onto her face as she typed in the number to her contacts. She texted a message to the octoling just to make sure she had put it in correctly.

PEARL: hey, it’s pearl

Pearl jumped as her phone buzzed, there was an almost immediate response from the message. 

MARINA: Hey Pearl! It’s Marina! :)

Pearl made an awkward face. She wasn’t really a person to text much, let alone having conversations. 

PEARL: yeah. So whats up?

Pearl slapped a hand to her face as she realized how stupid she sounded. With a yelp and stinging pain, she immediately remembered the wound on her face. Inching her way out of bed, she headed for her bathroom to clean it up. 

MARINA: Nothing much! I just got home. How are you?

PEARL: well, im just about to clean the ink on my face before my parents ask questions lmao  
PEARL: besides that, im doing okay. Again thanks for savin me back there

MARINA: No worries! I hope it heals fast. 

Pearl turned on the faucet, splashing warm water on her face. It stung slightly, she winced. She carefully dabbed a washcloth to clean it up more, and pasted a simple bandaid on the claw marks that ripped through her cheek. 

PEARL: thanks mar

Pearl flinched as she realized she had sent the error before fixing it. Stupid water droplets; she grumbled as she began to type up a storm to clear it. Pearl stopped, however, as a text from Marina came back. 

MARINA: A nickname? Cute, I like it. 

Pearl’s eartips flushed a light shade of pink. It was totally unintentional, but better to go with the flow than be more awkward, she presumed. 

PEARL: oh, yeah i like to give people nicknames

She gulped nervously as she realized she had never given anyone a nickname before. It wasn’t like she had a good friend in the first place… Many of her “friends” felt as though she was too snobbish for her own good. Either that, or they seemed nice before Pearl figured out they were just using her for her money. Pearl felt hurt each time, but brushed it off and moved on. Pearl had thought she was stronger than them, but in time she realized she was more standoffish than she used to be before.  
For some reason, though, Pearl felt that she and Marina instantly clicked, even if she didn’t know her that well. Still, a bead of sweat rolled down her pale forehead. Texting was not her forte… 

MARINA: You seem like a person to do that! Do you have a nickname for yourself?

PEARL: not really!

MARINA: Hmm… let me think of one for you. 

MARINA: Ooh! What about Pearlie? <3

Pearl choked on her spit as she read the text the octoling sent her. For some reason as she scanned the message over and over, her heart tugged at her. Was it normal to get flustered over tiny things like this? Jeez, keep it cool, Pearl took a deep breath in. _Don’t ruin your first chance to have a good friend by being a weirdo._

__PEARL: haha sure_ _

__The inkling wrote that in such a calm manner, but on the inside she was exploding with horror. Hopefully she was saying the right things… She feared that Marina thought she was odd._ _

__MARINA: Cool! I’ll make it your contact name. ^^_ _

__PEARLIE: ill do the same, mar_ _

__Pearl wanted to bang her head on her nightside table. Why does this have to be so difficult? She sounded like a crusty piece of floral foam. She took a steady breath to calm herself, even though she wasn’t sure why she needed to be calmed in the first place._ _

__MAR: Awh, perfect! Now I wanna know more about you. Tell me about yourself._ _

__An uncomfortable wave was sent throughout her body. Those walls she had built all that time ago came shooting through the ground once again. Even though Marina was pretty, she knew to not trust just looks alone… thinking back to that afternoon, the fire in her eyes of protection… Pearl shook her head and began to text her again. Marina needed something in return for the hassle Pearl had brought upon her._ _

__PEARLIE: oh, okay i guess. My names Pearl, you already know that. I like music, eating spicy foods, and playing video games time to time. Wbu?_ _

__Pearl hoped she didn’t sound so bland. Her life was pretty… gray and muddy. Not necessarily anything to look forward to or to be happy about. Pearl loved listening to music, heavy rap and rock exclusively. Many found it distasteful, which Pearl connected with easily. Her music taste was just like her. Young, fearless, and a tad on the edgy side._ _

__Rapping and humming along to music filled the hole in her heart that her parents couldn’t._ _

__MAR: Interesting! I love music as well. I play the keytar and I love to sing. I also like writing sometimes!_ _

__PEARLIE: oh rad, what kinda music do you like? I cant play anything really but i like to rap sometimes_ _

__MAR: Promise not to laugh?_ _

__PEARLIE: mar, i still listen to my chemical romance, i don’t care what you listen to_ _

__MAR: Omg, really? Haha okay, I still really love the Squid Sisters._ _

__PEARLIE: oh yea! Theyre still good to me, even if i dont listen to much mainstream stuff_ _

__MAR: Oh good! I know a lot of people want to keep with the freshest trends happening, so after a while the Squid Sisters became… a little less fresh I guess?_ _

__PEARLIE: they dont know what theyre talking about, tbh. The squid sisters are the besttt_ _

__MAR: I’m so glad you agree! I really love their stuff._ _

__MAR: Well, I gotta go for now, it was great talking to you Pearl! I’ll see you tomorrow!_ _

__PEARLIE: see ya then!_ _

__Pearl clicked her phone screen off and exhaled the breath she didn’t know she was keeping back. A weird buzzing shook her to her core, face feeling hot and sweaty._ _

__She was anxious as _hell. _____

____On one hand, this was very good! Marina seemed sweet and open to being friends. She had protected her from that menace Harper._ _ _ _

____On the other hand, however… Pearl felt a spike in her heart. She knew she couldn’t ruin this, she would never forgive herself. She wasn’t sure how to act in front of this… oddly specific kindness. The only thing she ever got from others were stares and scorn._ _ _ _

____It filled her to the brim with nervous butterflies._ _ _ _

____Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she opened her phone again to mindlessly scroll and play some music. Placing careful earbuds in, she felt the music flow loudly into her soul, calming her mind despite the ear splitting demeanor. Every familiar note pushed into her brain comfortably._ _ _ _

____Her moment of tranquility was stampeded on as she heard the front door open loudly. If anything were to give her a swell of clenching fear, that would be it._ _ _ _

____It meant her parents were home._ _ _ _

____She paused her music quickly and pursed her lips as she listened carefully to their footsteps. They were sadly recognizable. She held her breath as she pricked her ears; they didn’t seem to be approaching her room. Thankfully, they were stepping upstairs and away from Pearl’s presence._ _ _ _

____Even though Pearl was afraid of them, the fact that they didn’t show up in her room made her even more sad. She just longed for one moment, a look of worry and a warm tight hug… Maybe even a questioning glance at the bandaid on her cheek... she spat inwardly. _Stop sounding so desperate.__ _ _ _

______With a sniffle she let her shoulders relax. Throwing herself back down into her bed was the most comfort she had felt from anyone else._ _ _ _ _ _

______That is, besides Marina._ _ _ _ _ _

______Another thought of the beautiful octoling set her mind into a dreamy haze. It was hard to pinpoint things about her this early into her friendship, so Pearl didn’t really have any rock to grasp onto. All she knew was basic interests and the long lost sparkle in her eyes._ _ _ _ _ _

______Pearl’s cloudy thoughts drug her away into a sleepy state. From the fight today, her body ached and her face still stung lightly. The pillow she rested her head at comforted the headache that was starting to brew. Her eyelashes fluttered against porcelain skin. Closing them made her wash away to slumber._ _ _ _ _ _

______Jerking awake, Pearl felt her breath hitch. Her eyes were unfocused for a moment, and she peered out the window. It was dark out, which sent Pearl’s senses haywire. Waking up from unknown naps were either awful or beautiful, and it seemed as though it was both this time._ _ _ _ _ _

______Her eyes screamed as she clicked her phone on; the bright screen burned away at her face. Scrambling, she quickly turned the brightness down. _12:04. _____ _ _ _ _

________Not necessarily too late, but definitely enough for Pearl to be tired. Because of the nap, however, her eyes stayed locked on the illuminating screen. It wasn’t that bad of an idea to stay up a little later, was it?_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________It was a bad idea._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Waking up later in the morning felt like she was walking on nails. The comfort of her bed was addicting, she rolled out with a painful grumble._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Looking wearlily into the mirror made her feel even more groggy. Mascara she had forgotten to take off smeared sadly on her face. With careful nails she grabbed the bandaid on her face and ripped it off, hissing and tossing it into the trash. The wound looked a lot healthier, but still needed some closure._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Throwing clothes off, Pearl hopped into the shower. The scalding water kissed her exhausted skin, she sighed dreamily. After getting out, she felt a lot more alive. She pasted another bandaid on, globbed some more mascara, threw clothes over her head, grabbed her backpack, and scurried outside to make sure she was on time._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________The usual dread of school loomed on the inkling as she walked through the entrance doors. Though the school was fairly large, she felt as though the walls were cramming her along with the busy flow of students rushing to their class._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Classes were muted out of her brain as Pearl snuck headphones into her ears. She doodled mindless things on the edges of her worksheet assignments. Little octolings and inklings with hearts and squiggles scattered among her faulty work. They smiled up at her, and she returned with a solemn face._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________The end of the day had been reached, which Pearl was thankful for. Time seemed to stretch out like a catfish during school hours. Having a friend to talk to would likely help her focus better. Feeling the beginnings of a smile soften upon her lips, she paced hurriedly to the health class she now adored._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Opening the door, she hurried to her seat and threw her backpack by the legs of her desk. Thrumming black nails on her desk, she waited anxiously for her partner. Ears flickered as the octoling walked into class. They met eyes, and Pearl could've sworn they both smiled at the same time. The short girl gave an awkward peace sign, and Marina giggled as she caught up and came running back to her seat._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Hey Pearlie!” She chirped cheerfully, but faltered a bit at the nickname piece with a nervous smile._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Heyo Mar,” Pearl returned the smile to her own surprise. Her chest felt heavy with unknown anxiety. She batted at herself inwardly at the weird feelings rising up inside. It was foreign, therefore Pearl disliked it. In general Pearl didn’t enjoy change, but this change was different… almost exhilarating._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Ready to get to work?” Marina’s smile was endearing, Pearl noticed. The inkling nodded her head, grabbing the small computer crammed into her backpack. Crumpled papers fluttered out as she harshly snatched the technology, she shoved the papers back inside ungracefully._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“I’m sorry but…” Pearl looked back up at Marina’s now scrunched up face. “How can you stand having your backpack so disorganized? Can you even find any of your assignments in there?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Let’s just say I’m a piles squid, not a files squid.” Marina chuckled at Pearl’s retort._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Fair enough.” She picked the notebook from the day before from the innards of her backpack. “I’ll be keeping non digital work from now on, alright?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Sounds reasonable.” Pearl shrugged, smirking. Marina rolled her eyes with a smile._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Marina opened the notebook and began scrawling down more paragraphs that seemed to be in her head, so Pearl didn’t interrupt her. With careful precision, Pearl reached over to the edge of her paper and started to doodle. Marina, focused on the task at hand, didn’t even realize how close Pearl was to her. When she crammed her pencil into her paper for the last period, she looked over and jumped. They were so close, in fact, when Marina jumped they brushed shoulders._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“What are you-” Marina stopped to peer curiously at the drawing that Pearl had done. “Oh?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“It’s…” Pearl looked away from her drawing. A small little inkling was drawn, along with a larger octoling. A round heart hovered above the two. “It’s us.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“That’s so adorable, Pearlie.” Marina gasped. “You never told me you draw!”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“I don’t really draw,” Pearl flushed, hand scratching the back of her neck. “I more just… doodle, I guess.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“I still love it nonetheless, thank you.” Marina’s eyes lingered on the paper for a few more moments._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Uhh… you’re welcome.” Pearl stuttered out. She wasn’t even sure what urged her to draw that in the first place, but she was glad that Marina enjoyed the silly doodle._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Okay, so I wrote down some responses for the question already,” Marina tapped her pencil’s eraser on the paragraphs she had written. “I asked my parents, and my dad is a lot like me, haha. I had to stop him halfway to make sure I could remember everything.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Rad, I’m glad he’s so chillax.” Pearl tried her best to sound enthusiastic but it fell terribly flat. She gritted her teeth awkwardly. She really didn’t want to be that edgy kid that didn’t like the mention of parental figures… yet it was almost like a flight response._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Hey, are you okay?” Marina’s voice softened, placing a worried hand onto Pearl’s shoulder. The inkling jumped at the touch, snapping out of her own thoughts. She brushed Marina’s hand off carefully, an odd smile tugged at her face._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Uhh, yeah. Let’s get back to work.” Pearl tried her best to look focused, and began to scribble down some ideas for the presentation in Marina’s notebook. She painfully felt the burning gaze of Marina trying to calculate the problem. She seemed to give up after a moment, sighing and drifting closer to Pearl. Their arms pressed together, and Pearl felt an electrifying shiver pass through her, making her stop writing for a second in order for her brain to catch up._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Marina was comforting her, Pearl realized. Just in a way that she was comfortable with…Pearl shot Marina a quick glance, and they met eyes like they had done all those times before. Like Marina had done before, she blinked awkwardly, tentacles swaying nervously for but a moment._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Pearl swiped her head away and shakily began writing little bullet notes once again. Her handwriting came out scraggly as she hardly focused on anything other than the feeling of Marina’s skin against hers._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________This is normal, Pearl. Jeez. Stop freakin out just because she’s really pretty and… Urgh._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Pearl took a deep inhale, then exhaled loudly through her nostrils. _Why was this so difficult? _____ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________The two sat in mostly silence the rest of class, passing the notebook back and forth in order to write some ideas. Little words were spoken in that timeframe, but Pearl didn’t mind. In fact, she preferred it. The loud chattering of classmates got sometimes overwhelming._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________The bell once again ripped them from their comfy position. This time, Pearl waited for Marina to finish packing her bag. She decided she would tag along with her until her parents picked her up. _That’s what friends do… right? _____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________Once outside the classroom, Pearl was struck with overwhelming fear once again. Harper was outside, near the classroom. The inkling was hunched over, leaning on the wall like an eager vulture picking out its next meal. Her eyes looked darkened and frightening. When she saw Pearl, her face curled into a snarl. Marina came next, standing next to the fear stricken inkling. She put her arm around Pearl, pulling her close and giving Harper a menacing squint._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Let’s get away from her before I do something that I regret, okay?” Marina bent down slightly to whisper into Pearl’s pierced ear. Pearl nodded, gulping and looking away._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________Marina ushered her away, holding her arm around her until they got close to the school doors._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Thanks Mar,” Pearl managed to choke out after they had left Harper’s premise. Marina just gave a small nod of acknowledgment, teal tipped claws still wrapped protectively around Pearl’s small frame._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________They stayed like that for a bit while waiting for Marina’s parents, but Pearl didn’t mind it at all. In fact… it almost felt… safe. Pearl couldn’t place it exactly, but she didn’t shrug off her arm this time around._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________As quickly as she enjoyed it, Marina had to leave. A simple white car pulled into the school parking lot, giving a small beep to draw the attention of the octoling._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“I’ll see you tomorrow Pearlie!” Marina waved a clawed hand, skipping away to jump in the car. Pearl’s eyes drifted at the car roaring away, returning a limp wave._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________A weird longing bit at the inklings stomach. She wished Marina had stayed longer by her side. It felt… weird. Pearl never really depended on any others besides herself. Kicking a lone pebble on the sidewalk ahead of her, she swerved and began to walk to the route that was bitterly familiar._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________Another day, another smile from the octolings lips. Pearl felt her heart swell as she creaked open the door to her house._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took.. so long. Good lord.
> 
> I've been busy as heck with school and such, plus writer's block put their death grip on me. If this chapter seems a bit.. choppy, that might be why. I've got some inspiration back however, hopefully updates won't take as long!


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